Interpretation - When we were us

In 2018, Bon Jovi released two new songs belonging to 'THINFS' from 2016. One of them is 'When we were us'.

A song that is inspired by the bands induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2018 and 100% about the band itself and its history (2018 is the 35th anniversary of the band formation).

The lyrics are like a review of the last years, but also about the very beginning as described in the first lines: 'We were young, unafraid, we were finding our own way'.

On one side it talks about sadness and deep pain, probably referring to Richie leaving the band after 30 years in lines like: 'writing every page together, those days were not to last forever' or ' seasons pass and times will move on'.

On the other side it's a typical Bon Jovi song with their typical optimism. Jon tells us that even if the times are rough, we have to look forward to the future: 'cuts can heal, scars will fade, what we had will never change' which also symbolizes his pride of what he did and what they achieved together.

In this song, Jon also gives a little review of who they were in the 80s and what they felt like when they came together. First of all there was innocence and they had nothing but their dream of becoming famous. They had nothing to lose, but a lot of energy and motivation: 'there was more than fire in our eyes'.

Bon Jovi have always been a band of brothers, fighting against the rest who believed they would never make it: 'We were one, born and raised, more than blood runs through these vains'.

To finish this, it is also a song about the ups and downs in life and the bands carreer, as much as learning to deal with this all and learning to love your life: 'every time you've climbed that mountain, there's another one left to climb, don't go looking for tomorrow, leaving yesterday behing'.